Games of chance abound in modern life. Not only are an increasing number of jurisdictions legalizing gambling and casinos, but many states are themselves sponsoring and managing various types of games of chance, such as lotteries. Moreover, such games are generally received enthusiastically by the public and enjoy wide participation.
However, existing games of chance fit into a very small group of different game types which are, by now, well-known to the public and, therefore, suffer from the inability to retain the interest of the participating public over the long term. In addition, they are quite limited in the control they give the supervisory agency which provides the game in managing the appeal and profitability of the game.
Ideally, a game of chance should exhibit a number of desirable characteristics. First of all, it should offer at least one huge prize or "jackpot." Secondly, the game should be easy to understand and easy to play. In addition, it should offer the impression to the participant that winning is easy. it should also confirm this impression by providing frequent successes and wins, even if minor ones. Also, the game should offer emotion, excitement and suspense to the participant. Finally, even if the participant does not win, it should appear that not winning was a near miss.
From the point of view of the agency that manages the game, it should be possible to control the success rate of participants and the profitability of the game. Moreover, it should be possible to control the apparent success rate, without compromising profitability.
In accordance with the present invention, a game of chance is provided wherein a participant may choose a selectable number of codes from a library of codes. In accordance with a computer controlled preferred embodiment, the participant may select the number of codes he will bet on a video display screen and may then select that number of codes from among the library. The computer then randomly selects a predetermined number of codes from those in the library as winning codes. The participant is awarded a payout, based upon the number of codes in his selected group that match winning codes. The agency operating the game is also able to select the particular number of matches that will be winners and the payout for each win, the frequency of occurrence of different numbers of matches, and the excitement, while also being able to control the total payout rate of the game independently. In an alternate embodiment, the player selects a fixed number of wagers and is able to control the number of codes selected by the computer. Again, payouts are made on the basis of the number matches between the player's selections and the computer selections.